Sherdog Remembers: Sky High

Stipe
Miocic may be the reigning king of the heavyweights, but he
endured his share of difficulties during his rise to the top of the
Ultimate Fighting Championship. Five years ago today, he faced
Stefan
Struve in his first turn as a UFC headliner.

“Skyscraper” stopped the previously undefeated Miocic on
second-round punches in the
UFC on Fuel TV 5 main event on Sept. 29, 2012 at the Capital FM
Arena in Nottingham, England. The first 7-footer to ever compete
inside the Octagon, Struve closed it out 3:50 into Round 2.

Miocic did some excellent work in the first round, as he ripped
rights and lefts to the head and body of the 24-year-old Dutchman.
The blows to Struve’s midsection might have paid serious dividends
had the fight lasted longer. However, momentum abandoned Miocic in
Round 2. Struve looked like a different fighter, as he assumed a
far more aggressive approach with the right uppercut as his chief
weapon. He had Miocic on the run more than once. After the Strong
Style Fight Team member slipped near the cage, Struve unleashed two
hellacious right crosses that permanently altered the direction of
the bout. A series of uppercuts followed, and one final left hook
was enough to force referee Herb Dean’s
hand. Miocic slumped.

“I trained for five rounds, and I knew I had it in me,” Struve
said. “I saw he really slowed down in that second round, and I
landed a good uppercut. I always want to finish, so you know if
I’ve got him rocked that I’m going in for the kill.”

Five years later, Struve remains the only man to have finished
Miocic.

“I heard some complaints about my power in the past, but I think
they might change their opinion right now,” he said. “I need to
work on using my reach better. Some moments were pretty good, some
weren’t so good, but I think I showed I have a good chin.”

Though they remain inextricably linked by their head-to-head
encounter, the two heavyweights have gone their separate ways
since. Struve owns a middling 3-4 record in seven subsequent
appearances, while Miocic has gone 8-1 en route to capturing the
UFC heavyweight crown.